The three-year contract with EV1.net expired on December 31, 2005, leaving the bowl game without a title sponsor.

A college football official told the Houston Chronicle that the bowl was in danger of ceasing operations, as a result of the game losing its title sponsor and because the Houston Bowl still owed roughly $600,000 to the Big 12 and Mountain West conferences following the 2005 game.

[2] However, the NCAA approved Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, a division of the Houston Texans, who also play in Reliant Stadium, to take over game management.

[4] On December 3, 2006, Rutgers accepted an invitation to play Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl.

On April 12, 2011, ESPN announced Meineke Car Care signed a three-year title sponsorship deal beginning in 2011, changing name of the bowl to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

The university was only able to sell 548 tickets at that price, forcing it to accept a $462,535 loss, before travel expenses, to pay for the privilege of playing in the bowl.

Lost (5): Houston, Northwestern, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Western Michigan Updated through the December 2024 edition (18 games, 36 total appearances).

‡ LSU's vacated victory following the 2015 season is excluded from the SEC's win–loss totals and winning percentage.